After Doklam standoff, Xi and Modi stress need for peace on border between China and India

The leaders of China and India have underscored the need for peace and tranquility in the two countries' borders.

For the first time after the recent border standoff ended, Chinese President Xi Jinping and Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi held bilateral talks on the sidelines of a summit meeting of Brics (Brazil, Russia, India, China and South Africa) in China's port city of Xiamen. The war of words on the border near Sikkim over the uninhabited territory of Doklam lasted for more than two months as both countries frequently warned each other.

Xi said: "Healthy and stable relations between China and India are in line with the fundamental interests of their people".

Though their meeting was originally scheduled for 30 minutes, it went on for about an hour.

"China is willing to work with India on the basis of the Five Principles of Peaceful Coexistence, which were put forward by both countries, to improve political mutual trust, promote mutually beneficial cooperation, and push Sino-Indian ties along a right track," added Xi, according to the state outlet Xinhua.

The five principles, or Panchsheel Treaty as it is called in India, came into existence in 1954 when the two countries signed an agreement to govern bilateral relations.

"The discussions were very constructive on where the relationship should be going and will be going," said India's Foreign Secretary S Jaishankar. "It was a forward-looking conversation and not a backward-looking one."

Modi, who is travelling to Myanmar after the summit, wrote on Twitter that he held "fruitful talks" with Xi..